Breath of Life
by uoduck
Summary: When Castiel and all the angels go to rescue Dean Winchester, they find a hellhound guarding him. Acting on something, maybe instinct, maybe something else unknown, Castiel picks up the hellhound along with Dean and flies them both out of hell. The instant they're out, the hellhound runs off, disappearing... Castiel/Sam/Dean/Harry
1. Chapter 1

AN: I do not own either Supernatural or Harry Potter.

This will be Castiel/Dean/Sam/Harry, like a lot of my readers wanted.

* * *

When Castiel arrived at the place where his Grace was telling him to go, he stopped and tilted his head in confusion. Dean's soul was strapped to the rack which was to be expected but there was a hellhound lying on the ground in front of him. Castiel took a step toward Dean, wings behind him beating almost anxiously, and stopped when the hellhound got up and stared at him, growled and bared its' teeth.

Castiel used a little of his grace to examine the hellhound and when his energy touched the hound, the creature stopped, shock still. Then it... sighed in relief, shook like a wet dog and tilted its' head to look up at Castiel. Castiel saw its eyes widen then the dog started to howl quietly. To Castiel, the sound seemed... unsure, maybe hesitant? He was unsure about what the hound was trying to communicate to its kin.

_Castiel, that will bring more hounds to your position! Kill it now!_

The hellhound was not one that Castiel had seen before. It had blue fire burning around and on it and it was a lot bigger than the others. And when it peered up at him, Castiel tilted his head. The hound had hazy green eyes unlike the red eyes of the creatures that he had seen before. Its' ears were long and alert for danger, regardless of the fact that hell was the home for every hound and demon.

Castiel raised his angel blade and crouched, ready to kill yet another hound of hell but the hound made no move toward him. In fact, the hellhound even turned and started to chew at Dean's ropes. It yelped in pain once or twice then took a step back, sitting on its haunches. It started to lick its paws, whining a little. The hunter had been unconscious but now he woke up, turning to peer at the hound.

"'S it time?"

Castiel looked at the hound as it appeared to nod up at Dean then turned to glance at Castiel, as if asking for help. It was no longer acting aggressive toward the angel, ears relaxed and tail wagging a little. Castiel strode up and sliced through the ropes holding Dean in place, catching the hunter by his left shoulder. Dean whimpered a little then passed out.

When Castiel was just about to fly out, the hound barked. The blue fire around the creature flared then subsided as the hound padded over to Castiel's side, wrapping its' curved tail around one of Castiel's legs. It looked up at him and yawned, showing fangs and teeth that were dripping red. However, Castiel instinctively knew that the blood was not Dean's.

"What are you doing?"

The hound whined and glared up at him, turned to look at the hunter in his arms.

"I won't hesitate to smite you if you move again, creature."

The hellhound glanced up at him, panted a little. Castiel almost thought it looked like it was smiling. But that wasn't normal behavior for a hellhound, despite the fact that he really didn't know what hell hounds did when they weren't hunting their prey.

Sounds of fighting reached Castiel's ears. He glanced down at the hound then at the hunter who had broken the first seal and made up his mind. Castiel scooped up the hound with his other hand and flew upward, wings beating, as he flew past other angels. The fighting around him stopped as angels smote their current targets and joined him, awe in their eyes as their gazes ran to Dean.

_Castiel, why are you holding one of those hounds?_

_ Brother? Our orders were to rescue the hunter. Not to lift a hound out of hell._

_ You should have smote that disgusting creature, not picked it up and flew with it._

Castiel glanced at Uriel and at the angel on his other side. The hound had not even yelped when Castiel had picked it up, even going so far as to lean into his arm.

_I... felt something when it looked at me._

_ Felt something?_

_ Are you sure hanging out with Gabriel before he left hasn't influenced you?_

_ Uriel, just focus on the mission. The hound will be my responsibility._

Castiel increased his speed, trudging through the heat and evil that was hell.

* * *

The minute that the angels broke through hell and rose up into fresh air and onto land, the hound in Castiel's hand barked and squirmed around. Castiel instantly flew from where they appeared to where Dean's body was, Dean's glowing but a little tinged with dark, soul in his other hand. The hound started to squirm a lot more, though it was taking care to not jostle the soul in Castiel's arms. The blue fire around the hound was still flaring in small amounts around the dog's body and it didn't even touch the angel.

_Let me go._

Castiel started when the words appeared in his brain. He glanced around the dusty, dirty area that he had landed in only to see that there was nothing there. The trees that had grown up around Dean Winchester's burial area were now dead, flattened by the sheer amount of energy that had permeated the area by an angel, a soul and a hellhound.

_I'm not going to hurt anyone. Well, anyone that doesn't deserve it. Let me go. _

_ "_I did not realize hellhounds could speak," Castiel remarked. "Let alone speaking in a British accent."

_Everyone except me. And for the accent...I lived in London. If you're curious, come find me later. I'm sure angels can track energy readings. That's how you found Dean, wasn't it?_

Castiel peered down at the hellhound then at the soul in his hands. It stared up at him, flicked an ear then gestured to the ground with a paw. He slowly lowered the hound down to the ground and the instant that Castiel released it, it shot off into the distance. It didn't even look back at all but it did give a loud, joyous roar, blue flames shooting up into the sky around it.

* * *

"Do you remember anything?" Sam asked as they all started to relax. Or relax as much as they could. Sam was still kind of in shock that he had his brother back. His brother back from Hell. He never would have imagined getting his brother back without him being... a demon.

Ruby had gone while everyone was preoccupied and maybe Dean and Bobby wouldn't have killed her on the spot if they knew. Maybe they would have. Sam wanted to be more cautious than loose her.

Dean stared at him then at Bobby who was taking a sip of his beer. "Of Hell? Nothing much except smoke and fire."

"Well, maybe that's for the better," Sam remarked, opening his own drink.

"And a voice with a British accent," Dean added hesitantly. "I heard it a few times."

"A voice with a British accent?" Sam repeated, raising an eyebrow. "That's the only other thing you remember?"

Dean snorted. "It was probably nothing on second thought. I know it sounds crazy. Hearing a male voice with a British accent."

"We could do a little research," Sam suggested idly.

"And look for what, Sam?" Dean retorted. "There are probably less British people in hell than you think."

Bobby laughed. "They're probably more careful these days, being all proper and English. It's good to have you back, Dean."

* * *

Harry Potter slowly shifted back to his human form as soon as he could smell water, taking care to not rush anything. This would be the first time on two legs since... since he had first been dragged to Hell by one of Voldemort's minions. Since he had realized that Voldemort was in fact, a demon and not human at all. Some of the Snatchers had been demons too and during that final battle, Riddle had ordered a few of them to drag him to hell.

Granted, he had fought tooth and nail before being knocked out by a couple demons and a few hellhounds. He had been a regular werewolf at the time and hadn't even come close to being able to fight back against seven demons.

He had spent 35 years in hell before he had had seen Dean Winchester. 35 years in his wolf form. 35 years spent with the wolf front and center. He had let his wolf take charge and had receded into his mind, protecting himself from any and all torture.

Admittedly he might have gone more than a little feral. He did realize now that he had changed. He realized that he may have been a werewolf before Hell but now... he was different. The blue fire was still flaring around his body and he was lucky that he had picked a spot that was on the edge of the coastal town that he had picked, otherwise he probably would have gotten spotted. The fire around him flowed, changing color to red then to green then finally changing back to blue. Harry sighed. He wasn't a werewolf now. He would need to find a mirror and shift in front of it to know what he looked like now. Now... the creature inside him was a hound of hell though he didn't feel any different.

But when he had seen Dean, he realized that he was special but in what way, he hadn't really had the knowledge. He had watched as the human hunter had broken on the rack and had gotten up to do some of the torturing himself. His distant human heart had broken at the sight of the torment on the man's face as he did it. And broke some more when he saw hints of pleasure on Dean's face when he did it.

His mind had come up when he had heard the sounds of demons screaming before they had become smote. Fought his way back to the forefront of his mind and body with the help of the angel's Grace.

Before all of this... He hadn't known that there was even a Hell. Or that demons were real. To realize that angels were real... well. Instinctively, he had known that one of them could pull him out of hell and he had stuck close to Dean as the wolf always had. He hadn't been able to protect Dean a lot but when he had seen the angel walking up to him, he knew that the warrior would be pulling the hunter out of hell. He had only gone along for the ride and gratefully. He had unfinished business back on Earth.

He knew... could already feel that Voldemort wasn't dead and he wasn't even on British soil.


	2. Chapter 2

Before Harry apparated anywhere near Hogwarts, he snuck into Gringotts, where he had kept some spare clothes, armor, and a potions kit and a few spare weapons. The goblins were quite happy to see him, as apparently Voldemort had been running amok in London and most of Britain. The wizarding community didn't know how to deal with a Voldemort that was stronger, faster, and had a lot more magic, albeit really strange magic, than most wizards. Hell, Harry had noticed a few groups of demons and one or two hellhounds patrolling the Alley.

He pulled on some dragonhide armor, strapped a wand holster to his wrist, figuring that his next destination was to Ollivanders'. Though, he wondered if the strange wizard was still selling wands. Last he had checked, Ollivander was gone. And just as he was about to leave, his gaze stopped on something shiny in the corner of his vault.

Harry's eyes widened when he saw that the Sword of Griffindor was sitting right up against the wall, almost waiting to be found. He picked it up, careful of the blade, and hefted it once or twice. Due to being a werewolf turned hellhound, he was stronger than normal people. Probably stronger than normal werewolves too. It definitely felt lighter than when he had wielded it in his second year. He shrugged, strode over to pick up a sheath for it and sheathed it, strapping it to his back. He figured that despite the fact that he didn't really know how to use a sword, it would be effective against demons, what with the remaining basilisk blood on it and that it was made by goblins.

He heard Garlok outside mutter in their language, almost frantic like.

"Mr. Potter, one of the patrols is coming to Gringotts. We must get you out of here!"

Harry strode out of his vault and shuffled into the cart. "Is there a way to move all of my money and belongings to a bank in America?"

The goblin looked at him strangely. "Yes, there is. You will need to arrange that with Ragnok."

Harry nodded. "Good. I want to deal with the patrol. Voldemort doesn't do small patrolling, does he?"

Garlok winced, probably at Harry's usage of the name. "No, we have made sure he doesn't come straight into Gringotts. It's one of his Death Eaters and a few of the more strange creatures."

"Alright. I want to see what they're after," Harry said, as the goblin started the cart. "Then I'm going to start taking out Voldemort's forces."

Garlok grinned rather toothily. "We have been looking forward to having you back."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You mean... you knew I was going to come back?"

"Not exactly. We hoped," Garlok remarked, looking him over. "You certainly came back different however."

"You can sense that, huh?" Harry asked, glancing down at himself to make sure the hellfire that always surrounded him was not there. It wasn't. He would have to make sure to learn better control in his human form though, just so he wouldn't freak anyone out.

"We goblins can sense anything but your eyes are glowing red a little. Even... the war that is brewing over in the States," Garlok said as the cart started the trip up. "I believe your presence will be needed there."

Harry nodded distractedly, closing his eyes briefly. The redness that the goblin had mentioned was probably some of his Hell showing through. He already figured on going back to the States when Voldemort had been defeated and he... he wanted to make sure Dean and his brother were safe. And the angel had intrigued him. Being in his arms, even during the relatively short trip back up to Earth, had made him feel... safe and he hadn't really felt that emotion in a long time. Plus, as he spent more and more time on two legs, he remembered some of his time in hell and he could just barely remember demons talking about things that had made his wolf worry.

"Is there anything more you can tell me?" Harry asked, just as they were about to come to a stop back in Gringotts proper.

"Ragnok will have more for you. I do believe that Ollivander left something for you also," Garlok said.

"Right."

Harry stepped out and instantly felt the presence of a demon, a wizard and two hellhounds. His magic had tagged them as what they were the minute that he had felt Hell flowing around the demon and the hounds. As they walked back, Harry stopped a good distance away from the main entrance hall of Gringotts. He didn't want to be noticed before he was ready. "Fuck, it's even worse than I thought."

Garlok looked at him.

"You wouldn't happen to have a spare wand around, would you?" Harry asked, already guessing that the goblins wouldn't have any wands around, even spares.

"Stay here. Ragnok did say you should receive something when you came. I believe it will help you greatly in the coming days."

Garlok stepped out of the cart and ran through the hallway, dodging other goblins. Harry rocked back on his heels, putting his hand on the hilt of Griffindor's sword impatiently. He could hear talking and a little growling though he couldn't really hear what anyone was saying. He waited for a few minutes before hearing and smelling the particular smell of Garlok.

He could hear and see a goblin going up to the Death Eater and asking something. There were other customers in the main room of Gringotts who had stopped what they were doing, only to stare at the Death Eater with more than a little fear in their eyes. Harry sighed and willed a listening spell into affect.

"And what would you be doing here?" The goblin asked, staring up at the Death Eater. The demon and the two hounds were still waiting in the entry way and it looked like they were the muscle or three particularly ugly bouncers. He saw right through the demon and right at its real face.

"We have come for the weekly protection fee." The Death Eater replied, smirking and drawing his wand. Harry looked more closely at Voldemort's minion, trying to see if he recognized the guy, but either it had been a really long time since his fourth year(which it had been) or the Death Eater wasn't one he recognized.

"Here."

Harry peered down at the goblin and his jaw dropped. Garlok was holding a staff, carved with a wolf and a snake. Harry reached out a hand for it, feeling like it was calling to him and Garlok held it out. Warmth flowed around him, his magic finally breathing and strengthening at being able to be focused. The hellfire in him refused to stay invisible, waving around him in little balls. Harry's eyes widened as the fire changed colors faintly, from red to really faint blue to deep green then back to dark red.

His mind also was bombarded by information, from how to kill demons to how to make sure the person they were possessing was unhurt. He had the distinct idea that this staff had been around for far longer than he had when stances for sword fighting flowed into his mind, along with which herbs and potions would be useful. More information entered his mind, everything from how demons possessed people to just about anything that he might find useful.

Garlok watched him and smirked. "A gift from Ollivander."

Harry smiled and went out to meet the patrol, once again dampening the hellfire.

* * *

"...Mr. Potter?"

Harry stood in front of the remaining two creatures, the hellhounds. The goblins had already detained the Death Eater when Harry had summoned the guy's wand from him. Harry himself had taken out the demon, killing it permanently but making sure the host person was unharmed. One of the goblins had ushered the person into a side room of Gringotts and made preparations for the guy to be healed and obliviated.

But the two hellhounds had stopped, right after advancing on Harry. They were laying on their stomachs, like submissive dogs. Harry stared at them, looked over at the goblins then back at the hounds. It was like...

Harry dropped his staff and the sword and changed, shifting quickly and dropping onto four legs. He could feel horns grow on his head, horns that were alight with fire. A tail grew and fangs grew from his mouth and he growled, taking a few steps to stand over the hounds who whimpered.

* * *

Ragnok, leader of the goblins in Britain, watched as Harry Potter transformed, flowing from human to hellhound easily enough. Or at least, it looked like it was easy for him. The wizard wasn't emitting any groans or sounds of distress. Ragnok saw his employees all stop and stare at the wizard turned hellhound as it padded over to the two hounds.

If Ragnok and his employees were not goblins, they wouldn't be able to see the hounds. But he was able to see the terrifying beasts. The beasts who were currently presenting their throats to Ragnok's favorite customer. The hound who was Harry Potter had horns on his big head, fangs in his mouth and red flames flaring all over his body. And Ragnok could see that this... fire was not on the other two hounds. The hounds on the floor had horns and fangs but they did not have fire. Fire that smelled like ash and sulfur, crackling around Potter.

They all watched as Potter stood over the two and moved his jaws over first one throat then the other. Ragnok could see that Potter was touching his fangs to each hound's throat but not squeezing then Potter stepped back and howled.

Ragnok winced, covering his ears and saw the other goblins do the same. The howl was eerie and it didn't sound like a regular dog's howl. It sounded feral, dark and aggressive and was joined by the two hounds on the floor as they stood up. Ragnok could see in their eyes that they were a little fearful, even these hounds of hell. By now, their other customers had been taken to a separate room by one of his employees and he would see about obliviating them. Ragnok had already assumed that Harry Potter wouldn't want anyone knowing about him being back until he was ready.

* * *

"Whose staff was this?" Harry asked Ragnok after getting filled in on what had been happening for the past five months he had been gone.

Ragnok grinned toothily. "That staff was the property of Salazar Slytherin. We goblins thought it would go well with the Sword of Griffindor."

Harry's jaw dropped and he peered down at the staff again. He could feel the magic flowing within it and his own magic was humming right alongside it. The two hellhounds that he had faced down just a few hours ago were curled around him, trembling a little.

"Slytherin, while disgraced from Hogwarts, had a little trouble with these creatures," Ragnok remarked, gesturing at the hounds at Harry's feet. Harry raised an eyebrow and glanced down at them then turned back to Ragnok. "It should help you now."

Harry sighed. "Do you think the wizards and witches will have... issues with me?"

Ragnok studied him. "If they do, you will always have the Goblin nation behind you."

"That's not answering my question," Harry said, narrowing his eyes. "But thanks."

Ragnok nodded, drawing a hand across his wrinkly forehead. "Some will, I believe. I think the American contingent of wizards are a lot less... unforgiving than their British counterparts. There are also a lot less wand using wizards and witches in America, due to the dark creatures there."

"So... what you're saying..."

"Your trunks and belongings have been well taken care of and have been moved to a secure apartment," Ragnok explained. "For as long as you need it, the apartment behind Gringotts is yours."

* * *

Harry unlocked the door of the apartment that Ragnok had told him about. It was actually very well hidden as it was kind of behind Gringotts and there was the fact that Harry had never realized there was an apartment behind the bank. He didn't even think that anyone knew about it outside of the employees at Gringotts. It would be his base of operations until he had defeated Voldemort. It was also warded at the highest level by the goblins so it would take someone like... Well, he didn't even know if Voldemort would be able to force his way through it. But he had made sure a certain angel would be able to find him. And it would accommodate the hounds that he had made submit the day before.

He threw his stolen cloak down onto the couch in the living room and heard more than saw the two hounds follow him. He had actually expected them to flee when he had faced them down yesterday but they hadn't. They had stuck to his side ever since, occasionally going out to find food. Harry stared at them, watched as they stared back. Their eyes glowed red and Harry felt his eyes start to glow too then the hounds whimpered and curled up right in front of the couch.

* * *

Harry was just sitting down on the couch after spending the day looking around Diagon Alley for any sign of his friends when he heard a loud wind burst. He had had to cast a strong disillusionment charm on himself and he used his invisibility cloak as well. He wanted to take no chances in outing himself to Voldemort's forces before he was ready. Or before he found his friends.

The two hounds started to growl before looking to him. Harry raised an eyebrow, shushed them, nudged one of them off of his feet then stood up, walking over to open the door after summoning his staff. The sword of Griffindor was right by the door so if it was a demon at the door, Harry would be ready.

The person on the other side of the door was not what Harry was expecting. But the guy was familiar in that he was the angel that pulled both Harry and Dean out of Hell. He was wearing a tan trench coat and a blue tie and he had short black hair and blue eyes. Harry could feel himself smiling a little at the angel's appearance. No one would think this person would be anything other than...

"An accountant?" Harry blurted out, leaning against the hinges of the door. He could feel the angel's grace around the guy, blinding white light in his magical vision.

The angel stared at him, blinked. "No, I'm Castiel."

Harry snorted, raising an eyebrow. "Alright then. I'm Harry Potter."

"I know who you are," Castiel spoke, standing there, unmoving. "We thought you lost."

"You angels have known about me?" Harry questioned, fingers tightening on his staff. "About what happened for the past 7 months?"

Castiel sighed. "We were helpless to stop anything. Our father forbid us from helping you."

"Forbid you?" Harry echoed. "But surely... there was at least something you could do?"

"Michael said no," Castiel said. "There was nothing we could do."

"How long have you been possessing a human?" Harry asked, finally stepping aside and making a shooing motion behind him to the hounds. He heard them get up and pad deeper into the apartment, their claws clicking on the surface of the tile. He hoped their stink wouldn't be too noticeable. He himself had been working on keeping his smell to a minimum, hoping that it would come in handy when he went further into the heart of magical Britain.

"Three days," Castiel answered, walking into the apartment. The door closed behind him, pushed closed by Castiel's grace. "You were lost for five months."

Harry nodded idly, watching as Castiel took note of the sword by the door and the staff in his hands. "Well, let me tell you. 70 years in hell? Not my idea of a vacation."

Castiel's lips twitched up into an almost smile.

"Thank you," Harry murmured quietly as the angel came to stand before him. "Dean and I would have been down there for Merlin knows how long if you guys didn't come."

Castiel tilted his head. "It was our job. However, finding you was unexpected. Merlin?"

"Just an expression," Harry said, taking a step closer to Castiel. "So... what are you doing here? And why do you say that pulling Dean out of Hell was your job?"

"Dean Winchester is God's Chosen," Castiel said, not backing up from Harry's step forward. "We were commanded to pull him out of Hell so he may stop what is coming."

Harry nodded then winced. "What is coming?"

"Lucifer."

"Fuck."


	3. Chapter 3

"Why did you pull me out of Hell anyway?" Harry asked idly as Dobby dropped by with some dinner for him. The plate of food that the house elf put on the dining table had some meat on it, meat that was plenty rare enough for him. Rare enough to make Harry's stomach growl since he hadn't had any good meat since being dragged to hell. He saw Dobby put a preservative charm on the food before vanishing. "I'm part hellhound."

Castiel looked around the small apartment as if he was a little nervous. Harry supposed that being nervous was appropriate in this situation, what with Castiel being an angel and Harry being a hellhound. Not to mention the auras that the two hounds that had submitted to him were all around the small apartment. "I felt... something when I used my Grace to stop you."

"Stop me from what?"

"I thought you were going to harm Dean. I did not know you were the Boy-Who-Lived."

Harry winced at that.

Castiel narrowed his eyes but didn't start to act like most of the wizarding world did when they saw him. It was a nice change, having someone not really react to the fact that Harry was considered the 'Chosen One'. At the battle at Hogwarts, before Harry got thrown downstairs, the aurors and the unspeakables that had come to help spent most of the briefing staring at him. And now, Castiel wasn't doing any of the things that would mostly be considered hero worship. "You did not harm Dean though. You only tried to bite through the chains holding the man."

"I did go..." Harry shrugged, flinching a little. "I did what I had to, to survive down there."

Castiel looked at him with something akin to respect and not the disgust that Harry would have expected from a friend. Harry sighed, feeling the hound in his mind squirm a little at the angel's gaze before settling.

"You did not harm Dean. You kept some of your mind."

"Yeah, there is that."

* * *

Harry was just keeping watch on a group of demons and two hellhounds when his magic flared in warning. He tightened his fingers on his staff, ready to whisper one or two blasting charms but he needn't have worried. He knew what his magic was telling him before he heard the tell tale sound of a heavy wind, of wings beating. The two hounds next to him did growl a little, quietly, but he shushed them.

It was a week or two after Harry and Castiel had met 'officially' for the first time and Harry had yet to find his friends. Or any sign that there was still fighting going on. It was like Voldemort had completely and entirely won while Harry had been fighting for his life in Hell. And it left Harry with an unpleasant feeling in his stomach. He had gone into Diagon Alley via Knockturn Alley and all the stores were closed with barely any people walking around. Granted, when he had entered Knockturn Alley, there were lots of people, wizards and witches alike, walking around. He had even seen demons and Death Eaters walking around in broad daylight, with not a care in the world. It made him remember what Castiel had said those days ago, that Lucifer was getting ready to rise. Maybe... he shuddered.

If Voldemort and Lucifer's minions were working together, which they obviously were, it wasn't good. Hell, the dark lord and Lucifer might have even planned this.

Castiel appeared right behind him and closed the distance between them and reached out a hand to grasp Harry's shoulder.

Just as Harry felt Castiel's grace, he instinctively closed his eyes and felt himself disappear. He heard wings beating then they stopped and Harry opened his eyes. They were now in a warehouse that was probably unoccupied, judging by the lack of noise. Though... Harry narrowed his eyes. There was a demon in here. And something else. Something or someone that had the blood of a demon in them but wasn't a demon? Harry was very unsure what it was that he was smelling.

"Whoa there," Harry muttered, backing up a step. "Just because you pulled me out of hell does not give you the excuse of using your Grace on me."

Castiel pulled back, a little startled. Harry watched as Castiel tilted his head and the thought that the angel was cute flew into his mind before he shrugged. "The Winchesters need help."

"Well, fine. But in the future, tell me before you do that, got it? I might have been in the middle of something. Like say, a war."

* * *

Sam stared at his brother wearily. Ruby was now beside him, also watching Dean. The guy that Sam had just exorcized was in the middle of trying to stand up without falling to the floor.

"Dean?"

Dean was staring at him too, with a look of betrayal on his face, and Sam was just trying not to immediately give in and explain everything. Dean had that way of doing that but now...

"They don't even officially know me yet!"

Sam startled and turned to Ruby, who nodded and slunk away, intending to deal with their uninvited guest. Whoever it was sounded close and Sam didn't want this... whatever it was between them to be overheard.

Though when Sam turned to look at Dean, he reconsidered. Dean's eyes were wide and his skin had lost some of its color. They both heard a struggle then a loud sigh followed by Ruby coming back into the room with a man that looked to be in his late twenties. The man had dark green eyes, black hair that reached down to his upper shoulders and a peculiar scar on his forehead. He was wearing strange clothes and boots, clothes that looked like they were a weird kind of light armor. The clothes looked like they were made out of some kind of hide. The boots also looked like they were combat boots and not walk-in-the-rain kind of boots. There was also something that was tempting about the man, something tugging Sam toward the man.

"You..." Dean spoke, voice a little shaky. Sam watched as his brother took a half step toward the strange man then immediately stopped and pulled his gun out.

The man raised an eyebrow but nodded, appearing to be totally at ease with a gun being drawn on him. "Yeah, it's me. You remember... that? My voice?"

Sam reached for his gun too and saw Ruby's eyes turn black. "Christo."

The guy didn't flinch nor did his eyes turn black but he did turn his focus on Sam, who shuddered. The man's eyes seemed... wild, like the man wasn't quite human. It was kind of intense, having the guy look at him like that. Like he was trying to figure out what Sam was. "I'm not a demon."

"Dean, how do you know this guy?" Sam asked, watching as Ruby went about pulling the man who just had a demon in him a few minutes ago up and out of the warehouse. They exchanged glances before Ruby exited the building.

"I..." Dean trailed off, seemingly speechless.

"We met a few months ago," the strange man replied, running a hand through his hair. Sam could see that the guy's black hair had strands of red running through it. "Not officially though."

"You aren't a demon," Dean said.

"Last I checked I wasn't," the guy replied, looking in between Dean and Sam both.

"What do you mean, you guys met a few months ago? Dean was in Hell a few months ago," Sam spoke. He pulled out his gun too, just in case. If Dean had reason to believe that this guy could be a demon then Sam would prefer to be safe rather than sorry.

"He was the guy I heard in Hell," Dean explained, moving to Sam's side. Sam sighed in relief at having his brother standing next to him again. He had missed this. "The British voice I was telling you and Bobby about?"

"How the hell are you not a demon?" Dean added, looking at the guy.

"How about we start with this. Hi, I'm Harry Potter and I got shuffled over here by an angel. Sam was looking kind of anxious over there, like he needed an introduction."

Dean snorted then did a double take. "Angel?"

"Same angel that pulled you out, pulled me out too. Goes by the name of Castiel?"

"How do you know my name?" Sam asked, glancing at Dean before looking at the guy... Harry.

"Your brother called out your name more than once," Harry replied quietly, staring at Dean, who looked away. Sam shuddered and he winced, wishing that they could have figured out something before Dean had gotten pulled down to Hell. Wished that Dean hadn't had to go through whatever he had gone through down there. "Plus, you look like brothers and Castiel said that and I quote, _The Winchesters need help."_

_ "_Castiel said that?" Dean asked, looking at Sam wearily before returning to look at Harry. "Do you have a handprint on your shoulder too?"

Harry shook his head, grinned a little. "No, I think that's just you."

Sam chuckled at Dean's look, a mixture of surprise and embarrassment.

"But how... why did you escape hell without a scratch?" Sam asked, studying Harry.

Harry flinched. "I didn't but that's another story. I can give you guys help for a few hours to... probably a day but then I need to go back to London."

"Castiel was in London to get you?" Dean questioned, eyes widening.

"Yeah, I'm originally from London," Harry replied.

"How are you going to get back to London? Fly?" Sam enquired.

"I have my ways, Sam," Harry said, grinning.

"I still don't really trust you," Dean remarked. "You were in Hell."

"It's complicated but it wasn't my fault," Harry replied and nodded. "I didn't really expect you guys to trust me on our first meeting. But if you will allow me to help, I can help. I definitely don't mean you any harm."


	4. Chapter 4

Dean watched the strange man, feeling the other man's gaze on him as well. There was something about him that yelled supernatural but Dean didn't know what it was. If the guy wasn't a demon and he was not… However he and Sam didn't know why the other man had gone to hell in the first place. Maybe he had sold his soul, though Harry had said it wasn't his fault.

"I'll meet you guys at your hotel room, if that's okay?" Harry asked, looking between the two of them. His green eyes were narrowed, glowing almost, with interest. "I want to stretch my legs a little without being tortured."

"Tortured?" Sam repeated, glancing at Dean.

"Ah, forget I said that. I'll see you later, give you guys time to decide if you want my help or not."

"I thought you said Castiel brought you here for a reason?" Dean asked, trying to hold in a yawn.

Harry stared at him, tilted his head a little as if he knew Dean was tired. "Oh, who knows with angels… It might be you guys will need help now or a few hours in the future or tomorrow. I'll stick around then as I said, I need to get back to London by Friday at the latest."

Dean nodded wearily and watched the man back up to the door and leave. "Huh..."

"What?" Sam took a couple of steps away and turned to face his brother.

"Harry didn't turn his back on us," Dean remarked. "Let's get back to the motel room. I need to get something to eat."

"I think I'll go after Harry," Sam said, rocking back on the heels of his feet. He was nervous about the coming lecture, had always been nervous about lectures from his brother. "Make sure he's okay. You can take the Impala back."

"Oh, does Sammy have a crush?"

Sam felt his cheeks redden. "Dean!"

"I gotta catch up on my big brother responsibilities!"

* * *

"Hey! Wait up!"

Harry slowed down as he was about to cross the street and turned around. Sam was hastily running after him so he obligingly waited for him. "Sam?"

"I wanted to walk with you," Sam said, slowing down as he caught up. He wasn't even breathing heavily as he came up to stand next to Harry.

"You did, huh? No ulterior motive?"

"No."

Harry raised an eyebrow but shrugged. "Okay, might be nice to have company. Plus, I don't know where your motel room is anyway."

Sam snorted. "You were just planning on trying every motel room?"

"More or less," Harry replied as they started to walk. He had of course been following Dean's scent, retracing his steps. It was late at night or early in the morning, depending on one's opinion and there weren't a lot of people out. There were of course the few drunks and homeless people out in the city but no one was out this late on a weekday. "So… that thing with the demon back there."

"Were you a hunter before you went to Hell?" Sam asked, evading the subject of Harry's question. He had seen Dean's betrayed look when his brother had realized the demon had been Ruby and that Sam had been using his powers. He never wanted to see that look again.

"No, I wasn't," Harry replied quietly. "I didn't even get to take a crash course. It was just... O_h hello, I'm __a__ demon and this is my hellhound. We're here to drag you to hell._"

Sam laughed at Harry's interpretation of a demon, his deep voice with British accent hardly sounding like a demon. Or even a stereotypical demon. "That bad?"

"I didn't even sell my soul," Harry continued, turning to look at Sam as they stopped at a stoplight. The Winchester's motel room was right across the street if the strong smell of gunpowder, leather, and a little scent of hell was indication of anything. There was also demon scent around their room which Harry figured was the little scent that Sam was giving off. If Harry had been human, he obviously wouldn't have been able to smell anything but being a werewolf turned hellhound, he had a strong sense of smell. "Did Dean… sell his soul?"

Sam shuddered and turned away.

"I'm sorry. I won't pry that much," Harry offered, wincing at the grief scent that was rolling off of Sam. There was also a good deal of self hate if his nose was working correctly. "Come on."

* * *

Dean sat in the idling impala as he stared at the door to their motel room. Harry was sitting on top of the picnic bench, one arm at his side and the other holding a drink. He was drinking something from Starbucks and watching Dean from the bench. After a minute or two, Dean got out of the car and walked over to stand a few feet from Harry and looked the guy over more seriously.

The man's dark green eyes were narrowed and as Dean watched, he took a deep breath. He also noticed that the man didn't make any unnecessary movements, like his body was trained so well. The man obviously had muscles on his body which made Dean wonder who Harry had been before his trip to Hell. He knew that Harry had definitely not been a hunter; Bobby mostly knew all hunters by now and every other hunter on the continent knew Bobby. Harry had not been one of the hunters that Bobby knew though he could have been stationed in England. Bobby didn't necessarily know every single hunter ever.

"Sam?"

Harry pointed to their motel room door. "He's in there. Look, I know I'm more or less a stranger but go easy on him?"

"You drinking coffee at this hour?" Dean asked.

Harry snorted. "It's not coffee. Do you remember anything from Hell?"

"What? No! Well, I don't remember anything other than you. What is it, if it's not coffee?"

Harry raised an eyebrow but shrugged, eyes almost glowing. "Hot chocolate. Why do you care so much about my drink preferences?"

Dean crossed his arms and glared. "I don't."

Harry stared back and started to grin a little. "Last I checked, it was not illegal to have a sweet tooth, thank you. Go talk to your brother."

Dean was about to walk into their motel room when he stopped and turned back to look at Harry. "Something in me makes me want to trust you."

Harry turned around on the bench, green eyes soft. Though Dean could see something that almost looked like fire in those eyes too, like there was a whole other part to Harry that he couldn't see. "I was with you, in Hell. I tried to protect you but I failed."

Dean stared at the other man then went to go confront Sam, the other man's words floating through his brain. Harry was with him in Hell? Dean only remembered… He remembered everything from Hell except Harry. All he remembered was Harry's voice. He didn't remember seeing the man in Hell.

* * *

"This was not what I meant by 'take it easy on him'."

Sam turned immediately, his hand going to his gun. His nose was starting to bleed a little and he distantly could feel his legs shaking. Dean was staring at him, betrayed and angry. _If I didn't know you, I'd want to hunt you._

Harry had poked his head in and sighed, fully opening the door and stepping inside. Sam watched as the British man closed the door and stepped over to stand before the two of them. Sam could feel the pull that was drawing him to the other man buzz with his nearness but blinked when a tissue was held out to him. "Your nose?"

"He's using his powers!" Dean exclaimed, taking a step back.

"Yeah," Harry remarked. "Sam, are you being careful? Any side effects to using your powers?"

"What's that suppose to mean?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The questions mean what they're suppose to mean. Sam?" Harry turned toward him and continued to hold the tissue out. "That's for cleaning up your face..."

"Oh," Sam muttered, taking the tissue and wiping the blood off. Wherever Sam used the tissue, a tingling sensation was left. The slight pain that came with being hit on his face eased and disappeared. The usual headache that he got from using his powers eased a little but didn't entirely vanish. "Uh, there are no side effects."

"You wanna try that again?" Harry questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Your nose is all scrunched up like you're in pain."

Sam stared at Harry, who stared back and grinned. "It's a little cute."

Dean snorted.

"Okay, fine. I get bad headaches," Sam replied.

"Sam!" Dean exclaimed. "Like when you had your visions?"

"Yeah."

"Visions?" Harry asked, looking between the two of them.

"He used to get visions… Do you have them anymore?" Dean asked, staring at his brother with a frown.

"No, I don't. Probably because the people are all dead," Sam retorted.

Dean stiffened.

"I'm confused," Harry interrupted, running a hand through his hair. "Who are all dead?"

"The Yellow Eyed demon, Azazel, chose some children for his plans," Sam included, looking at Harry instead of Dean. "Which included me."

"And those children are… dead now?" Harry confirmed.

"Yeah," Dean said.

"I get the feeling there's a longer story here," Harry remarked. He was about to say something else when a phone rang.

Sam glanced at Dean before going to get the phone. He threw away the now dirty tissue and picked up the cellphone.

"Travis, hi. Yeah, it's been a while..."

* * *

"You want to travel with us?" Sam asked as they got ready to go to Carthage. Dean was packing his duffel and Sam had already put his into the car. "Travis is an old friend. If he says there's something wrong in that city then there's probably a case."

"Sure. I can ride in the backseat or..." Harry trailed off as they both heard howling. Sam turned to better listen to the sound. It was eerie, haunting but it was definitely a dog or two. It kind of reminded him of when hellhounds had dragged Dean off to hell and he shuddered. He knew Harry had caught the movement when the other man narrowed his eyes. "I'll meet you there, okay?"

Sam raised an eyebrow but nodded. "You have a car of your own?

"No. But I'll get there the same time as you two."

"Trade secret?" Sam questioned, wondering what the other man was hiding. Harry had said that he would get back to London in another way. He wondered what the scar that looked like a lightning bolt on his forehead meant.

Harry laughed and nodded. "Yeah. Maybe I'll fill you in later."

Sam watched as the other man turned around and left, going behind the motel.

* * *

Harry followed the eerie howling to the outskirts of the city, avoiding people and cars. His two hellhounds were pacing between two trees by the road out of the city and as soon as they saw him, they howled joyfully and raced toward him. He grinned and shifted shape to meet them.

They bowed right before colliding with him and he nodded, letting them get close. They had been anxious when he had vanished right before their eyes and noses, that much was clear. Harry yipped once or twice and nosed through their fur, letting some of his hellfire out. They had also managed to catch up to him even though he was on an entire separate continent.

He barked a question and they answered, whining. The tracking charm that he had put on Dean moved in his mind, fast and in a definite direction. The two brothers had taken off toward Carthage, taking the same direction that Harry had used to follow the hounds.

Harry glanced at his two pack members and waited, shifting in and out of view. If people happened to look their way, they would only see fog and the hazy outline of three dogs. If demons or other 'gifted' people saw them, they would actually see hellhounds but Harry didn't think there were any demons in the area.

As soon as Harry saw the Impala, he waited a minute then took off like a bullet, following the car and the two brothers. The two hellhounds next to him followed him, flanking their alpha.

* * *

"Why in Merlin's name does a rugaru even exist?" Harry muttered to himself as he sat outside of the motel that Dean and Sam were staying in in Carthage. They had met up an hour or two ago and gone to watch the potential target. The three of them hadn't noticed much of anything unusual up until the guy had started to chow down on raw meat. Though Harry had smelled something off about the man even from the car, through the open window in the kitchen. The three of them hadn't known what to make of it until they had come back to their motel room.

The minute that Harry had smelled another hunter in the room that the brothers had taken, he had bowed out and decided to spend some more time getting acquainted with the hounds. He had been worried that the other hunter would notice something off about him. He knew that Dean and Sam knew that there was something off about him but the brothers seemed like the kind of hunters that would ask questions first and shoot later. Especially Sam.

He pulled out the staff that Ollivander had left for him and looked it over. Now that he was thoroughly studying it, he could see that the wolf was actually a hellhound. It definitely had a big enough jaw and fangs on it though it didn't have horns.

A low growl brought him out of his thoughts and he looked up only to see a Death Eater walking across the street towards the motel. He quickly stood up and moved away from the motel room that Dean and Sam were in, casting a disillusionment charm on himself and hid behind a tree. It didn't look like the Death Eater had been headed for him. He didn't even know if Voldemort knew he was back up top and not still in Hell.

He signaled to his two hounds and they followed, shuffling over to stand in front of him. He watched the Death Eater, noting that he didn't recognize the minion of Voldemort. The Death Eater walked across the street and headed right for the Impala, drawing his or her wand. Harry's eyes widened, realizing the Death Eater was here for the Winchesters, not Harry. He continued to stare for a minute then one of his hounds yipped quietly, bringing him back to the present.

He stalked out from behind the tree, removed the disillusionment charm and cast a body binding hex. The Death Eater quickly dodged, throwing up a protective shield immediately and turning around. The bone white mask made Harry flinch inwardly and the fascinated cackle that followed chilled him to the bone.

"Potter?"

Harry's eyes widened even more as Bellatrix Lestrange pulled her mask down. The mad woman grinned evilly as she looked him over.

"So my master's enemy is alive! Well, well!"

"Lestrange! The fuck are you doing here?!"

"Ooh, looks like Potter's not wolfy anymore! This will be fun news to tell my master!"

Harry almost, _almost_ rolled his eyes as he stiffened at her last words. He didn't want his presence given away yet. He still had to find what was left of the Order. He was dimly aware of people around them stopping to watch and winced, knowing that revealing at least magic to the general public was not a good idea. At least Sam and Dean hadn't poked their heads out yet to check on him.

He quickly charged towards her, shifting form mid-run and howled. His two hounds followed suit, howling and charging at Lestrange.

"Potter!"

Lestrange started to cast curses towards them, attempting to discourage the hounds from charging. Potter's hound form was giant and flaming red, hellfire glowing around him. The horns on his furred head were tipped with red fire and Harry opened his mouth, showing gleaming white fangs, and growled. Bellatrix screamed as the three hounds evaded her curses and attacked.

* * *

"The fuck's going on out there?" Travis exclaimed as soon as they heard the howling.

Sam turned to look at Dean, who had gone pale.

"Hellhounds," Dean muttered, glancing at the door then moving to place his back to the wall. He pulled his gun out and made sure it was full of bullets before taking a deep breath and walking up to the door. A few more howls were heard before a loud growl. A woman screamed again and again before going silent. "Those are hellhounds."

Sam shuddered and grabbed his gun as well, walking up to stand next to Dean as his brother opened the door. They stepped out, Sam in front because he wanted to protect his brother, and stopped when they saw the scene outside.

Harry was standing over a bloodied, unconscious woman with long, wild black hair. Sam flinched when he saw that there were holes in the woman, blood pouring out of the multiple severe wounds. Harry was a bit bloody himself, blood splatter on his clothes and boots and in his hair too if Sam's vision was working. Harry's back was to them and he was holding a long wooden staff in his hands.

"Harry?" Dean called out after a minute, glad that Travis had stayed put in the motel room.

Harry slowly turned at Dean's voice and looked over at them. Sam could see that Harry's green eyes were glowing, narrowed, predatory and he was breathing heavily. Harry opened his mouth briefly than closed it then spoke hesitantly. "Plans have changed. I can't stay to help right now. I'll call when I have time."

Sam and Dean both watched as Harry picked up the bleeding and injured woman uncaringly. Harry wasn't at all gentle with her, even wrinkling his nose when he had her in his arms.

"Did you hear any hellhounds?" Dean asked. "Are they the ones that did this?"

Harry tilted his head, looked somewhere to his left, and snorted. "Maybe. I need to go."

Then with a quiet crack, Harry disappeared.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean and Sam exchanged bewildered looks in the second after they saw Harry vanish. The blood and gory bits from the battle that obviously took place were still around the parking lot. Sam could swear that he saw clumps of bloodied hair by one car tire and what were probably bits of skin. His stomach lurched and he breathed through his mouth deeply. He had thought he was somewhat immune to the smell of blood by now but apparently not.

"The fuck was that?" Dean muttered. "Is Harry… Did you notice anything unusual about him?"

Sam shook his head, not willing to tell his brother about the pull that he felt toward Harry. "Didn't he say that he was with you in Hell?"

"Yeah, but I don't remember anything of that," Dean retorted.

"Are you sure you don't remember anything?" Sam questioned, turning to look at his brother. "I don't know of any kind of creature or human who can vanish like that. Ghosts can but we know he's not a ghost or a demon. He didn't react to any of our tests last night."

Dean paled. "I… All I remember of Hell was Harry's voice and that's it."

Sam sighed. "Well, I'll do some research but I don't know what I'll find. Harry did say that Castiel brought him here so maybe he's okay."

"Maybe… We'll ask him about it when he next shows up."

* * *

Harry landed back in his apartment behind Gringotts and magically bound Bellatrix to a chair. The two hellhounds appeared as he was working, looking like they had appeared to rise up from the earth. They howled their presence and then flanked him, growling lightly at the Death Eater. She was still unconscious from their combined attack and didn't look like she would wake anytime soon. There was a hole in her shoulder and one in her hip and neither made Harry any more sympathetic. Blood was pouring from both wounds and Harry could barely make out a tattoo on her injured shoulder, one that looked like it would protect the wearer from possession.

The memories of that day threatened to override his mind when he felt Castiel fly through the numerous wards on the building. That was just the distraction that he needed to push the memories back and he breathed a sigh of relief. Harry pulled out the staff and willed the wards to let him through as he had done before then returned to his current guest.

"What are you planning to do to this woman?" Castiel asked as he came to stand alongside Harry.

"Well, I was planning on invading her mind and learning about what's going on in the wizarding world," Harry remarked, glancing at the angel. The other being still had his beige trench coat on with not a thread loose. "And or find where my friends are."

"She may not know where they are," Castiel said, tilting his head as if he was confused. "Why was she in Missouri?"

"I believe she was going to attack the Winchesters, or something along those lines," Harry explained wearily. "Possibly Voldemort knows that the Winchesters have been targeted by Lucifer and I think he sent her to either kill or bring them to him. Regardless, I have no love for her anyway."

"I am aware of what she did," Castiel confirmed. "You may also want to find out what Voldemort's plans are. We cannot see them."

Harry blinked and turned to face the other man. "You can't see them?"

"No. We can see what Lucifer and his lieutenants are trying to do but not Voldemort and his men," Castiel explained. "They are blocking us."

"I suppose I could… I'm not very skilled in espionage but I could put her under the imperius curse," Harry offered, casting a stunning charm on Bellatrix before he started to pace around in the room. "Do you know if Voldemort has hellhounds in his lair, wherever that is?"

"I have seen a few," Castiel answered, watching him intently. The two hellhounds also came and sat down next to Castiel, following him with their eyes. "Do you have the power to cast that spell? If I recall correctly, it takes a great amount. It is also dark."

Harry stopped and turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "Have you seen me recently? I'm a werewolf-turned hellhound. I'm dark by definition. For Merlin's sake, if Dean and Sam weren't mostly already trusting me then they would have killed me. I mean, I apparated in front of them but they aren't shoot first and ask questions later, right? I'm not going to have much of a problem casting dark spells now."

"You were not suppose to be a werewolf in the first place," Castiel said. "One of the angels was suppose to stop that."

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I already know how fucked up this is. I've mostly accepted it. Now do we need this done badly enough? She probably only has part of the plan."

"Our intel would be greatly increased if you were to do this," Castiel responded. "Your soul is still remarkably bright for all your troubles."

Harry stared at him and took a step forward, leaving only Bellatrix between them. "My soul, huh? What about Dean's? Was that part of the divine plan?"

Castiel sighed and peered down at the captive woman briefly before staring right into Harry's green eyes. "I was too late."

Harry took a deep breath then squared his shoulders and turned to stare down at Bellatrix. "Right, if I'm doing this, I'm going to need to follow her in. But maybe…"

Castiel watched as Harry whispered something in Latin, the language of the wizards, and then Bellatrix woke up with a shouted curse. Harry didn't dodge it as he just stood there. Bellatrix squirmed and tried to roll around under the ties that bound her to the chair but to no avail. The spells and the ropes that bound her were too strong. She glared at him through her long black hair that was matted in some places. They both watched her flinch at the pain from her wounds as she moved.

"Was that not a spell?" Castiel murmured, knowing that Harry would hear it with his enhanced hearing.

"Uh, no. That was just a regular old insult," Harry said, his lips twitching up into a bemused grin. He brought up his staff again and spoke another spell. "Imperio!"

Bellatrix's eyes glazed over.

"I took her wand so no, that wasn't," Harry added than spoke in a deeper tone. "Bellatrix, you are to go to your master's lair and find out what their plans are. Do not let suspions arise of you or that you are under my control. I need you to walk and talk like nothing is wrong but talk to your master. Once you have done that, apparate back to Gringotts. I will meet you there."

As Harry released the spell, he started to heal up her wounds. Or rather he was about to before Castiel touched a finger to her forehead. Harry felt the angel's Grace go to work, his own dark nature flaring at the possible threat, and a minute later Bellatrix was all healed up. There was nothing left of the few holes in her body or the broken bones that had sprouted out of her body. The blood vanished along with the dirt and her black shirt and pants were stitched back together under their watchful eyes.

"I could have done that," Harry muttered.

"You could have," Castiel agreed amiably.

Harry stared at him for a minute before grinning a little. "Okay. Here goes nothing. I'm going to shift and follow her. Should be a few hours before I come back."

Castiel watched as Harry stepped back from him a few steps then the man's power flowed through him and rose up, causing the air to darken and blur. A minute later, the giant hellhound that Castiel had flown out of hell was in Harry's place. Red hellfire was spiraling up his horns and over his body. Fangs jutted out from his mouth and the wizard howled, eerie and haunting.

The two hellhounds next to Castiel joined in a second later, adding their voices to a ghostly chorus. The two hounds pranced over to flank their alpha as their song ended.

"Good luck, Harry," Castiel said as Bellatrix stood up, her eyes back to normal, back their strange black.

* * *

The wizard-hound trotted over to him and peered up at him, its tail flicking, and nodded then nudged Bellatrix in the back. The woman walked through the apartment and the three hounds followed.

Harry and the two hounds followed Bellatrix, walking alongside her, as she traversed the countryside. She had apparated in Diagon Alley once they had been clear of the apparition wards and Harry had followed, using the hellhound method of travel. He had discovered that the hounds traveled so far, so quickly by dipping into hell and coming out the other side, like using a tunnel or something. It worked for him, as long as he stayed out of the demon's sight.

Now, they were headed directly toward Malfoy Manor. The manor was teaming with demons, hounds and Death Eaters and it was very clear that something was going on in the mansion. Some of the Death Eaters were possessed and some were not. As they passed each person, he came to the conclusion that Voldemort had had his lowest ranking Death Eaters possessed by a demon. The higher ranking Death Eaters, like Bellatrix, were not.

Though the higher ranking ones were more often than not, flanked by hellhounds. As the four of them passed through the wards and swept through the front door, they passed Theodore Nott Senior and he was flanked by one hellhound. And with each hound they passed, Harry noticed that each hellhound blinked and turned to sniff him.

Harry took in the mansion as they went, taking a few deep breaths to find out who or what was in here. He could definitely smell the possible existence of dungeons, deep down in the basement of the mansion, by the smells coming up. He could smell sweat and hellfire mostly everywhere in the mansion.

Downwards, he could smell faint traces of fear, pain, desperation and none of them were old. Bellatrix exchanged awkward small talk with another Death Eater as they turned a corner and Harry looked up to see Lucius Malfoy.

"I see you have three hounds," Malfoy commented, peering down at the dogs. "Did our Master grant you more?"

Bellatrix cackled and caused Malfoy to flinch. Harry tilted his head in confusion, taking a sniff of the man. He smelled like subtle despair, of blood, of potions. "Our Master loves me. You would do well to do the same, Malfoy. You know you are suspect in the last killing. Don't let your son be punished for your failings. He is already due to be gifted."

Harry inwardly frowned and glanced at the two hounds on either side of him. It sounded like Draco's father was having second thoughts about having a master who was actually a demon. And what did Bellatrix mean by 'gifted'? He growled lightly, making Lucius flinch. Harry ignored the two Death Eaters for a minute while he thought and then sighed. He had a hunch about who the people down in the dungeon might be but he didn't want to leave Bellatrix alone. The crazy woman might do something or signal someone that she was not under her own control.

But he finally decided, it was worth the risk as he turned around and trotted back the way they came, back to the set of stairs that he had seen. Harry heard his two hounds follow him and ran down the set of stairs, dodging the two Death Eaters that were making their way up with Draco Malfoy held between them. Harry stopped at the bottom of the stairs and stared after his former rival.

Draco had been limp and pliant in their arms, like he was under a spell or drugged via potion. Harry stared up at him as the Death Eaters dragged Draco up the stairs then he glanced at the two hounds following him. He yipped quietly, telling them both what to do and then watched as they broke off from him and followed the Death Eaters up the stairs. Harry turned back and trotted the rest of the way down the steps and finally landed at the bottom. He landed on the stone floor with a quiet thump and trailed past the Death Eater on guard, seeing that the minion of Voldemort was one of the ones that was possessed. The demon inside the woman glanced at him briefly then apparently thought he was no threat and then ignored him.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief then strode over to one of the cell doors and looked inside, his breath catching at the sight that met him. Hermione was lying inside there, limp on the stone floor. She was mostly naked but for the tatters of what were once robes and thus Harry could see the many brusies, slashes and gashes all over her body. He growled lowly, causing Hermione to gasp out, apparently waking up.

Hermione gingerly sat up, cradling her right arm to her chest as she cautiously looked out through the door. Her eyes widened at the sight of the hound right outside the door. The hellhound didn't look like the others, especially because usually, wizards and witches couldn't see the hounds unless they had a spell cast on them. This one had horns and red fire spiraling around his or her body as its green eyes studied her. She quickly shuffled back until her back hit the stone wall, feeling her body trembling. If a hellhound was at the door, that meant a demon wasn't too far behind. Or even Voldemort.

The hound woofed quietly then glanced up to the door handle, tilting its head. Then Hermione felt something even with her magic suppressed. Magic rolled through the cell door and it was visible, with a red tinge to it as the hound rose up onto its hind feet and threw itself against the cell door. Hermione yelped and suddenly, the door collasped inward as she huddled in the corner, protecting her head.

Stone and dirt collasped all around her and she didn't even look up until she felt something cold touch her knee. She gasped in fright as the hound stared at her, just a few inches away from her face. Her back hit the stone wall behind her as she attempted to back off, her fingers itching for a wand that wasn't there.

The hound woofed again, quietly, and lowered down on his paws, the fire on its horns starting to turn blue. Hermione cautiously met the hellhound's eyes, its green, almost concerned eyes. Her own eyes widened at the familiar shade of green and she stared at the hound until it booped her on the knee again.

"Harry?" Hermione croaked out, coughing once or twice due to the dust still floating around in the air. The hound barked quietly, dipped its head in a nod then curled around her in an echo of a hug. Tears rose in her eyes and she buried her face in the hellhound's thick fur coat, feeling her body shaking. "Oh, Harry! I thought you were dead!"

* * *

AN: Who would you guys like Hermione to be paired with? It could be Draco, Ron or perhaps someone from Supernatural. It could also be a girl too.


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